Dr. Robert Sharp answers your most pressing questions about your cats. PLUS: Have a question for our country vet? Drop us a line at countryvet@countryliving.com.

Indoors or Outdoors?

Indoors or Outdoors?

Q: Our family just adopted a cat, and my husband and I are debating whether she should stay indoors all the time or go out during the day. What are your thoughts?

A: Asking a vet if your cat should be kept inside is like asking a dentist if you should brush your teeth. My office is currently caring for eight felines that are sick or injured as a result of their open-air adventures. Statistics vary, but house cats live, on average, nine years longer than their outdoor counterparts. Makes sense—have you ever heard of a pet being hit by a car while snoozing on a recliner? And traffic is just one hazard. Kitties who roam outside risk exposure to potentially fatal diseases, including feline leukemia, feline AIDS, and rabies, as well as less dangerous but still unpleasant parasites and infections (fleas, ticks, ringworm). Then there are predators, like coyotes, raccoons, dogs, even humans with guns.

Cat Sounds

Cat Sounds

Q: When my cat sits on the windowsill, she meows in a way that almost sounds as if she's chirping. Is this normal?

A: At the very least, it's common. My clients often ask me this question. And my clinical technician has a theory about why her kitty, Nica, makes a similar racket while staring out the window: "She's calling in the birds." Now, that's speculation on my tech's part, but experts have postulated that cats imitate the sounds made by their prey to disarm the creatures. So your pet's chattering may well be her attempt at avian mimicry.

Next time you notice her chirping at the window, look outside. Are the cat's eyes glued to a bird, squirrel, or rabbit? Is her tail fluffed up and twitching from side to side? If so, she's probably smacking her lips in anticipation of a great catch. Felines are natural-born predators, and though domesticated, yours wants very much to chase the animals on the other side of the glass. In other words, all that windowsill chatter is an expression of pure feral excitement.